1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to the art of fireplace screens for use in the home and, particularly, to safety screens that are locked together at the center when closed to prevent logs or wood from falling accidently through the screen separation.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
A thorough search of the prior art was made, and it turned up the Eisels U.S. Pat. No. 2,150,367 disclosing a fireplace screen provided with supporting rings and movable by means of a chain and pulley system. Each screen has a slidable plate element used for overlapping the vertical mating surfaces of the screens.
The Helwig U.S. Pat. No. 2,627,914 shows a fireplace front where the two screens are each mounted on a tubular frame, and each forms a gate-like section that pivots about vertical hinges at the opposite sides of the fireplace opening. A small conventional catch holds these two gate-like sections closed.
The Eckles U.S. Pat. No. 2,616,499 describes a fireplace screen having two curtain-type screens which are supported from a horizontal shaft. This shaft has both left- and right-hand worms which are used to propel the screens open and closed in a manner of a screw action. The mating vertical edges of the two screens comprise vertical curtain rods extending downwardly, and they are capable of overlapping when the screens are in their fully-extended position.
The Donnelly U.S. Pat. No. 1,344,756 shows a window screen rather than a fireplace screen. The purpose of this window screen is to allow fresh air to enter the room while preventing insects from passing between the screens. These screens are rolled on rollers at the vertical sides of the window. When the two screens are closed, there is an overlapping relationship between the mating vertical edges rather than an interlocking action.
The Cox U.S. Pat. No. 652,509 describes a sheet metal mantel serving as the finish around a fireplace. This mantel includes sheet metal doors which can slide back and forth. When they are in their fully-extended position they entirely close the fireplace opening so as to extinguish the fire in a fireplace by shutting off the draft of air from the room up the chimney. They also prevent fire from sparks flying into the room when no occupant is present in the room and on the alert to extinguish them. There is no screen involved in this mantel design of Cox. When a wide fireplace opening is furnished with these sheet metal panels, each panel is replaced by a pair of sections having opposite vertical edges to interlock. These interlocking edges also serve to prevent buckling and warping of the sheet metal panels.
The Jackson U.S. Pat. No. 1,926,443 describes a standard fireplace screen where the two screen sections overlap when they are extended. At the lower of the screen there is a small hook for joining these overlapping edges together at the bottom of the two screens.
The last patent is to Mears U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,356, which is not in the fireplace screen art at all. This patent describes a rubber-coated cloth or a sheet plastic for use in forming a flexible door that is an impermeable slit-type. In one position it closes the doorway, and in the other position it allows a person to force his way through the slit. This type of impermeable slit-type flexible door is apparently useful by the Federal government as a passage into and out of protective shelters with a minimum infiltration of contaminants, as for use in CLEAN ROOMS that are used in the manufacture of high technology electronic devices. This design is not operating at high temperatures, and it requires the use of rubber or plastic tubing which, of course, would not withstand high temperatures.